The halls have long ago been wreathed with purple streamers, the plethora of posters around school have grown familiar to the point of inconspicuousness, and the word-of-mouth excitement has spread schoolwide. However, many still don’t know what to expect from the school’s first Relay For Life event this Friday at 6 p.m. in the indoor facility. To alleviate some confusion, check out this Relay-Day Guide.
Registration and campsite set up will begin at 4 p.m. This is when teams can begin to show up and go to their assigned campsite location to put their items or start setting up their on-site fundraising booths. All participants must register at the check-in table by paying the $10 registration fee (if it hasn’t already been paid online) and receive a wristband to enter the indoor facility. Those under the age of 18 must also bring a signed youth participant form in order to participate in the event.
The opening ceremonies will begin at 6 p.m. to kick off the festivities in store for the night. The Survivor and Caregiver lap will immediately follow opening ceremonies to honor the cancer survivors in attendance. During this time, participants are asked to stay off what will be designated as the track area, but are encouraged to stand around it and cheer the survivors on. When the lap is finished, all teams and participants are released to walk the “track” or participate in other activities.
A full list of what to bring to Relay can be found here, but some of the essentials include: comfortable clothes and shoes, items for the themed laps, entertainment (cards, games, footballs, Frisbees, etc.), snacks, drinks, trash bags, and plenty of cash for food, drinks, activities, Luminaria, donations, and team fundraisers.
Since cancer never sleeps, the event lasts throughout the night with members from each team walking at all times. Team members can take turns or sign up for shifts within their teams to ensure they always have a representative walking. Throughout the night there will also be different themes for certain laps, including the Crazy Hat Lap, Urkel Lap, Aerobic Wear Lap, Ninja Lap, Neon Lap, Costume Lap, Pajama Lap, and Sunglasses Lap. Participants are encouraged to bring props for these activities.
For the members who aren’t walking, entertainment will be provided throughout the night in the form of bands, dance performances, a dodge ball tournament, a Mr. Relay competition, and games.
At 11 p.m. there will be a Luminaria ceremony, a feature that occurs at every Relay For Life event. The lights will be turned off and the “track” will be illuminated by Luminaria bags dedicated by participants to those who have fought the battle with cancer. All other activities will stop at this time, and everyone will gather to remember loved ones lost to cancer or those still involved in the fight. To dedicate a Luminaria bag, contact Mackenzie Miller at [email protected] or visit the Luminaria table at Relay For Life this Friday. Bags cost $10 and supplies will be available for decorating. Click here for a Luminaria order form.
After this ceremony, the lights will be turned back on and activities will continue as they were until 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20 when the closing ceremony will take place.
This is the first Relay For Life high school event held in the North Texas area. It is also this year’s NHS service project. The fundraising goal was set at $10,000—a figure which has already been surpassed with the teams raising more than $15,000 so far. A committee of 22 seniors and juniors has been working since November to plan the entire event with the assistance of local American Cancer Society sponsor Jamie Milstead. For a full list of the event schedule, click here. To sign up, visit http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=informational&type=fr_informational&sid=128501&fr_id=53871.
